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Washington Evening Journal
111 North Marion Avenue
Washington, IA 52353
319-653-2191
Burge is Reborn
On April 16, 2024, a tornado tore through the west side of rural New London. It damaged or destroyed homes, barns, and a business or two. But it wasn’t done. It turned it sights on to Burge Cemetery causing destruction and havoc to the second largest cemetery in Henry County.
Going out there shortly after the tornado had gone through, it was clear that this cemetery wouldn’t have much of a chance to be restored before Memorial Day. There was simply too much damage. It looked like a small bomb had gone off. But the drive and determination to repair Burge was underestimated as the “military” arrived.
Jesse Howard, Burge Cemetery Board president, a career military man, marshaled his troops and set about to repair Burge with amazing help from New London volunteers and many businesses in the surrounding area.
In about two months, the following has been accomplished:
- 344 headstones were reset.
- 21 damaged and/or destroyed trees were removed.
- 12 headstones from the 1800’s that had fallen were restored and reset.
- 40 headstones from the 1800’s and early 1900’s were cleaned.
- A brand new shed was built that will serve as storage for the tractor and various equipment.
The remarkable restoration is a testament to the people of New London and the surrounding area to not be defeated by the tornado, but galvanized into action. The following assisted in the restoration:
- Mr. May and the NLHS Industrial Technology Class
- Volunteer students from New London, Danville, and Winfield Mt. Union
- The collective efforts of Allen and Colton Gugeler and Gugeller Cemetery Service, Burlington Wilbert Vault Works, Harrison Monuments, Jordan Whitney and Whitney Monuments, and Leyda, Burrus & Metz
- Manpower from the Mt. Pleasant Correctional Facility
- · Exceptional Edge LLC for tree and stump removal
- VFW Ladies Auxiliary for keeping the volunteers well fed
- Merlin Burden for bringing his large excavator to help with some gigantic monuments and trees
- Mt. Pleasant Hy-Vee, Shearer’s Warehouse, and Kathy Brumwell and Elliott Chapel who helped feed/refresh the volunteers
- All the volunteers who gave their time and money ($25,000+ was donated)
- Austin and Shelby Allen of Courtesy Door Sales & Service
- Halo Design-Build For donating their time and expertise to rebuild the shed
On a beautiful Memorial Day, Burge Cemetery was resplendent in its beauty and tranquility. Except for the missing trees and the damaged flagpole, Burge looked as good and maybe even better than it always does on Memorial Day. No one would guess at the damage it sustained a mere six weeks ago.
A big shout out to Jesse Howard who was not defeated by the scope of the repairs, but oversaw the restoration with his usual enthusiasm and “can do” spirit.
I would be remiss not to thank God for protecting human life…the damage was within the power to repair. Burge Cemetery opened in 1838 and hopefully will be here to celebrate 200 years in 2038. That is truly a gift!
